The background story of Reyna Wilson
by A.R.M.Y Fangirl
Summary: Hi guys… this is the real story of Reyna Wilson, the Shadow… she's my favourite OC character… I made her up of course, and the young justice story was not an original- it was a total fake, and here is the real story of The Shadow. P.S. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, look at Love and Goodbye by me, a.k.a. RobinandNightwing!
1. Running Away

**Hi guys… this is the real story of Reyna Wilson, the Shadow… she's my favourite OC character… I made her up of course, and the young justice story was not an original- it was a total fake, and here is the** _ **real**_ **story of The Shadow.**

Patter, patter, patter.

Seven-year-old Reyna runs away from all her pain, all her life, all her everything.

And all she carries is a small backpack.

The rain patters, and it feels cold against her bare skin, but she doesn't flinch. She never flinches. She has been trained not to flinch, and so she doesn't.

Even in the slippery rain, she's as silent as a swift shadow. Her combat boots don't make a sound, and she admits to something.

She's afraid.

She looks behind her, expecting to see a masked face, half gold and half black, but she sees nothing. She sighs, slightly panting.

Where is she?

The small green-eyed girl scans the place she's in. She is in an alleyway, and she's even more scared because of the rain, and the gray weather, and the mud, with the rain plastering her raven hair to her face. She's in an alleyway, with dull grey buildings, and she looks back at her dad's hideout. No, her mentor's hideout. A father couldn't be so cruel.

Last chance. One last chance to go back, and pretend nothing ever happened.

She sinks to her knees and closes her eyes, focusing on the metallic taste of blood in her mouth that never seems to go away, and her soaked clothes and hair, and the knife strapped against her thigh. She concentrates, and hoping nobody's looking, disappears into the shadows. When she opens her eyes, she's in a different place-

She's in Blüdhaven.

The rain's stopped, and she stands out, black clothes against grey tiles.

Far away, she hears a sound.

Laughter.

God, she hasn't heard laughter in years. The last time she laughed out loud was answered to a blow to the head.

Although she's homeless and soaking, she's happy.

Her dad won't find her in at best six to seven years.

Reyna decides to investigate, sneaks around a corner and disappears with a whoosh. She reemerges from another corner, and she recognizes where she's in.

She's at Haly's circus.


	2. Haly's Circus

Haly's Circus.

A year ago, when she was six, her dad took her to the circus for a special 'treat'. She met a boy named Dick there, and they challenged each other to some gymnastic matches, and became fast friends. Until her dad dragged her away. He never even got to ask for her name! Well, she was pretty sure he had forgotten her, but she never did- he was, after all, the first boy who got within a 1-mile radius of her without getting slaughtered by her dad.

Reyna looks longingly at the tent.

She wants to see the boy again. He was fun to hang out with.

But no.

She can't get caught. She has to get going- she'll find maybe Superman, or Batman, then she'll be safe. Safe from the useless pain, safe from the memories, safe from the monster she calls her father.

Her small body moves back, and bumps into a larger one.

She must have been caught.

"Who are you?" she feels a firm hand on her shoulder, and that hand spins her around.

 _No!_

"You?" a familiar voice, the same voice she heard a year ago.

"Dick?" her own voice sounds unfamiliar, after being silent for so long, afraid of saying something wrong.

"You know this girl, Dick? She's been sneaking around, you know." She looks up, and sees John Grayson, and Dick peeking out from behind his dad.

A pang in her chest.

 _I wish I had a father to hide behind when I'm scared…_ a voice inside her says.

"What are you doing here?" Questions- more questions. She can outrun this man- she's fast, but she doesn't want to. Her feet won't move. She recognizes this feeling.

Warmth.

"I- I ran away." Her voice says it, but she's not in control of what she says.

"You _what?_ " The Graysons gasp at the same time. It would have been hilarious, almost like a comedy act, except for the fear she's engulfed in.

"My dad was angry… he didn't get a job done, I think, and he trained me twice as hard as usual, and I… I took the first- the first chance to run away." Her voice is trembling now. "Don't send me back… god, please don't send me back to live with him…"

John Grayson looks at Dick, then at her. He catches his wife's eye, then looks at Reyna again.

"You hungry?"


	3. Zucco

2 YEARS LATER

They know.

They know her dad is the most vicious and bloodthirsty mercenary in the world- and they still take her in. But Reyna never stops training- practicing with a wooden staff, a knife, anything. She has to. She never knows when her dad will come back. And she has to get ready for anything.

She's never out of practice. Never sloppy. Sloppiness means certain death. It's been two years since she ran away, and she still doesn't flinch when a knife is aimed at her.

"Dick, you have to finish everything on your plate." Dick's mom and dad look at him. Dick plops the vegetables in his mouth, rolls under the table, spits them out on the rubbish bin, springs on the lines, and starts running towards the circus, cartwheeling and whooping.

"Showoff!" she yells after him, swings once, twice, on the lines, and launches herself towards the tent. They are at Gotham, and she has grown much better- less confined, but lighter.

The moment she steps through the tent, she sees a dark figure looking at Dick. She had grown to love Dick like a brother now, and she doesn't hesitate to step protectively between Dick and the man. She's taller than Dick, although they are the same age.

"Who the hell are you?" she snaps, and the man reveals himself. She knows those blue and brown eyes.

Tony Zucco.

"What do you want, Zucco?" she snarles.

"Hello, my name is Tony Zucco." He holds out his hand and smirks. She takes the hand and applies pressure to it, harder and harder, until Zucco lets go.

"Ow!" he snarles at her. "You'll pay for that, you little-"

"I'm the manager of the circus, John Grayson. Can I help you?" John Grayson looks at Zucco with weary yet alert eyes.

"Yes… I want you to pay us… let's say, for protection."


	4. Falling

Zucco left. The Batman stopped him, taking down one of his men in the process. They're gone, and now it's time for the show.

"Come out of the curtains, you baby." Reyna laughs, and Dick steps out.

"Is there a reason why this costume has to be so colorful?" he moans, and Reyna's mouth twitches up into a smile. She's smiled a lot since she came to the circus.

"Yeah. So you look more like a wimp." She answers.

"It's because when I see you up there, Dick, you make me think of a little Robin." His mom answers, and Dick makes a face.

"Like the bird? Eugh." He sticks out his tongue. "You know, most boys my age get beat up for those kinds of nicknames."

"Wake up, Dick." Reyna rolls her eyes. She's dressed in a button-up red shirt and black slacks.

"Easy for you to say." Dick grumbles. "You're dressed comfortably in less colorful clothes."

"Still colorful." She points to her red shirt. Reyna would have preferred something less colorful, but the Graysons insisted on her wearing at least one pair of colorful, bright clothing, saying that 'this was a circus, not a funeral'.

"Plus," she adds, "I'm the electronics girl. I don't have to do dumb stuff like swing on ropes without a net."

"You're calling us dumb?" John Grayson looks at her accusingly. "I'll teach you dumb."

They hug each other tightly, and she yelps as the Graysons smother her in a big hug.

"You're family too, no matter what." They say.

"Aaaannnd…... the flying Graysons!" Haly the ringmaster shouts, and they all turn to go.

"Good luck, everyone!" Mary Grayson shouts, and she heads towards the lightings.

"Just in time, M'girl!" the man says. She could never remember his name.

"Hey." She greets him, and looks through the large gap in the curtains, at the still hidden Graysons. She walks over the the lighting and turns on the dials right on cue.

The lights shine on Mary and John Grayson, and they smile and wave, letting their robes fall to the floor. They grab the railbars and swing. A magnificent show. Then Reyna looks at the show. They seem impressed enough, but a few of them aren't. She sees an almost-bald man with a scar, a dumb face and a yellow shirt, a tiny man, and…. Zucco.

She should have known he'd come for revenge. And he came. Every muscle in her body tenses, like two years ago in her dad's hideout. Her feet feel unusually light, and the shadows twist and curl. _Control_ , she thinks. She should have meditated, instead of going to admire her reflection for so long. The shadows grow agitated if she doesn't meditate. She looks up and shines the spotlight on Dick. He smiles and waves, and catches her eye, just a glimpse. Then it flickers- straight up. His smile fades. She looks up and squints. Reyna can't see _that_ far. Then she looks at the lines dancing- threatening to fall. She sees Mary Grayson's expression turn from all smiles to fright, and she sees them fall. Reyna sinks to her knees, then pushes herself back up again. She can't cry. Dick needs her. But she lost another family. A better one.

 _Brace yourself_ , the voice in her says. And that's what she does. A numbness, a hole, a red-hot ball of anger, all inside of her, keeps her going.

She looks up at Dick, and he's climbing down as fast as he can, tears streaming down his cheeks. He sits down hastily next to his parents- his parents that are now dead. He looks frightened, because he probably never saw a dead body before, never mind his parents'. She struggles towards him and wraps her arms around him. A single tear escapes from her eye.

"Este bine." She whispers in his ear. "It's okay, little Robin." Behind her, a man's looking at her and Dick. A famous face, Bruce Wayne. He puts a comforting hand on Dick's shoulder, and hers. She doesn't pull away.


	5. Dick's POV

Dick follows Reyna out of the billionaire's car, and his mouth drops open- he's never seen such a big house. The trailer at Haly's Circus wasn't even a hundredth of this place.

"Woah." Dick says, and Bruce puts his hands on his and Reyna's shoulders.

Reyna looks unimpressed.

"When's Bruce gonna be joining us?" Dick asks the English butler, Alfred. Alfred's nice, but he insists on doing everything himself, like that time when he tried to wash the dishes, he completely freaked out.

"I'm not sure, Master Dick. You see, he is quite busy with his work, and it demands most of his time."

"He never shows up." Reyna grumbles, and finishes the last thing on her plate. "Come on, Dick, let's just act like zombies and play video games.

Dick snuck out quietly, and heads towards the painting of his mom and dad. He misses them, a lot. He looks at the sofa and sees Reyna looking at the painting too.

"Hey Reyne." he whispers at her, and she puts a finger over her lips and pulls him closer to the sofa. Now he sees that Alfred's coming towards them, having pulled up a secret pathway behind the grandfather clock. He pulls it back down again and looks around before going off towards the hallway.

"Well, Dickie?" Reyna's standing before him, hands planted on her hips, looking at him.

"What?" he asks.

"To go look inside that pathway thing, Dickie! What else?" she grabs his hand, causing him to blush, and pulls the lever. The clock springs up and an elevator's standing before them. Dick leads this time, and drags Reyna into the elevator. It shuts and whizzes down.

"Where do you think this leads to, Reyne?" he asks. Reyne. The nickname he gave her, short for Reyna. She says she finds it both endearing and annoying. That goes to _Dickie_ , too.

"Dunno. Maybe a secret chamber." She looks at the walls, just as they open, revealing a large chasm-ish cave.

"This is the _Batcave_." He hears Reyna suck in a breath and exhale, slowly. Then the sound of an engine fills the cave, and the Batmobile vrooms in. Reyna drags him behind a pillar just as Batman turns around the corner and leaves. She breathes a sigh and turns around to bump into Batman.

"Bruce?" Reyna points at him, and a look of surprise replaces the scowl. Then the scowl again.

"You remind me of someone." He says, looking at Reyna. Her green eyes stare up at him, and flickers down to the bat symbol on his chest.

"Who do I remind you of?"


	6. Bruce's POV

"Uuuungh…" Batman groggily opens his eyes. His wrists and ankles are tied to a wheel with ropes, leaving his chest and body area exposed. He tugs on the ropes, and Zucco notices.

"You know, being here has really brought back memories." Zucco paces in front of Batman. "Believe it or not, once upon a time, my pops and I were in the circus. We were knife throwers. Well, I threw the knives, and dad hoped I wouldn't hit him." Zucco lets out a deep throaty laugh. "It was quite an act, really." He says, weighing one of the knives on his palm. He catches it in midair after throwing it, then hurls it at Batman. It hits a little right of his stomach. "I'd put him on a board, just like the one you're on. And I'd say, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, please don't try this at home, I am a trained professional.'" Zucco chuckles and throws another knife, hitting the board an inch from his face. "Then my dad would say, 'I knew we should've given you piano lessons instead.' Always good for a laugh." He laughs and throws four more knives, hitting the board between his legs, on the left, on the right closer, and on the left again, closer to his chest.

"Why'd you give up such a promising career?" Batman asks, the sarcasm evident in his voice. Zucco didn't seem to notice.

"Well, one day, I missed." He shrugs, turns around, and throws the last knife at Batman. It hurtles towards him.

Then a sandbag drops down hitting the knife and the floor, and two small figures lightly jump down from above. Two figures, a boy with a green and red outfit, a domino mask and an R on his chest, and a girl with a domino mask, a black old-fashioned hooded cloak pinned at the shoulder, and combat boots. Dick- and Reyna.

"So Batman's got family too. How cute."

 _God, what have they done?_

The boy charges at Zucco, and the girl turns to Batman.

"Batman." She says, and somehow, she sounds _older_ , more mature, and expertly plucks a knife from the board. In a few swift strokes, she cuts Batman free.

Reyna runs towards Zucco, who is currently trying to murder Dick. She grabs Zucco's arm, and twists it around, earning a howl, then ducks a punch, sidesteps a hasty kick, and sweep-kicks Zucco.

 _She's done this before._

Zucco scrambles away from her and starts climbing the rungs, up to the place where Dick stood, before his parents died. Batman shoots a grappling hook up to the top and waits for Zucco to find him. As expected, Zucco bumps into his chest and then something unexpected happens.

He falls.

Batman stares in shock at the falling body of Tony Zucco.

"Zucco!" he yells.

Then a certain green-red-and-yellow-clothed pixie swoops down and grabs Zucco, propping the man up at the other rung.

"I thought you wanted him to get what's coming to him." Batman looks at the two kids. They had gotten out of the circus. Sirens are wailing, and police are arresting Zucco.

"He did, didn't he? Justice." Dick smiles. Reyna's mouth twitches, like she can't decide whether to laugh or to stay still.

"You'll both need a superhero name, you know." Batman stares off into the distance.

"How about Robin?" Dick says, and it surprises the Batman.

"Like the bird?" he says.

"It's a family name." Dick plants his hands on his hips and props one leg onto the fence, like Batman's doing right now.

"What about you?" Batman looks at the grinning girl.

"I'm thinking…. Shadow."


	7. Remodeling

"The jagged cape thing doesn't really suit your name, Rob." Reyna says. Ever since Dick got his name Robin, she had been careful to call him _Rob_. All the time.

"Then, like just trimmed at the edge, like yours?"

"You can't call mine a _cape_ , more like a _cloak_." She points out.

"Master Dick, please stay still- I have to measure your waist." Alfred sighs as Dick fidgets.

"Yeah, Rob, I stood still when he was measuring me." Then suddenly, the door opens to the study. Bruce eyes the blueprints and the pencil, then looks at Reyna.

"Come here, Reyna."

 _Uh-oh._

She follows him through the spiraling stairs and reaches the batcave computer.

"I need to talk to you about something."

 _What if he knows? What if he found out?_

"Your parentage."

 _Oh no._

Reyna looks at the man, then at the batcave computer, which he activates, showing a file on….

Slade Wilson.

She visibly flinches at the sight of the cruel man, even if it is just a file or a picture, then scan the contents.

Slade Wilson, age blah blah blah… then….

1 daughter, name unknown.

Reyna's jaw clenches, and her hands curl into fists. After all those years.

"Of course, I knew you reminded me of someone- I just couldn't think who. Then I saw your moves- Deathstroke taught you that, didn't he?" Bruce looks at her questioningly, then tilts his head.

"More like _tortured_ me into learning that." She hmphs and turns away, but freezes when she feels a hand on her shoulder.

"Get- your- hand- off- me- "she growls, anger building up in her chest.

"Listen, Reyna, I'm just trying to help- "Bruce gets cuts off when all that white-hot anger explodes.

"Hey! Where were you when I was with him? Huh? Where was anybody else? Where was Superman? Where was any other damn superhero? You guys are _superheroes_ , and you can't save one kid from a crappy, psychotic dad? From now on, I'm going to _make sure_ no one suffers the same pain. And I'm saying that- from _first-hand experience."_ She storms out. Alfred and Dick stares at her.

"Hey." Dick says slowly. "I've found this. Take a look." She peers at the strange purplish blue, almost indigo black gem.

"Uh, are you suggesting that I should wear bling when I go out?" and just like that, the anger evaporates. Normal Reyna now.

"It's a brooch." Alfred fixes it on the cloak, the jewel glittering and catching the light. Reyna takes a sharp breath.

"It's perfect." She says.


	8. The start of the team

Mr. Freeze sprays ice everywhere, interrupting the happy day.

"Enjoying family time?" he asks. "My family has other plans."

A batarang hits Freeze's wrist and spirals away.

"Batman." He snarls. "I was wondering when you'd show up." A few laughs, both feminine and male, ring across the field.

Suddenly, feet kick the helmeted villain onto his stomach, and lands a few feet away from him, then throws metal disks at his helmet, effectively cracking the glass. Then, before Mr. Freeze can rise, a powerful kick sends him crashing.

"Boom. Boy and Girl Wonder." Mr. Freeze looks up from the ground, unimpressed, and looks at them with a dull expression. "The Bat sent you two to bring me into prison? Frankly, I'm underwhelmed."

"Great, but I'm kind of in a hurry here." Robin shrugs.

"We actually are this time, no kidding." Shadow says.

"Kids. Always in such a hurry." Mr. Freeze steadies his freeze gun, ready to shoot.

"Not talking to you~" Robin sings in a kind of strained voice. Shadow couldn't help but notice his ruggedly dashing features, along with his sarcasm and jokes. STUPID, STUPID HOROMONES!

Freeze turns just in time for Batman to fly up and swing his fist, instantly shattering the glass.

TIME SKIP

Batman smiles and puts a hand on their shoulders, and Shadow couldn't help but notice how short her and Rob are compared to the others.

"Today is the day." Batman says.

"Welcome to the hall of Justice." Green Arrow smiles.

"Headquarters of the Justice League." Aquaman finishes.

Then a familiar voice rings out. "Aw man!" Kid Flash skids to a stop. "I knew we would be the last ones here!" He whined as Flash raised an eyebrow.

"Cliché much?" Shadow elbows Robin and whispers.

Robin snorts.

TIME SKIP

"You will not be doing this again." Batman growls.

"I am sorry." Kaldur says, "But we will." The rest of the team straighten, and Shadow's fists continuously clench and unclench. She starts flipping her pocketknife in her hand, a nervous habit.

"Aqualad." Warns Aquaman. "Stand down."

"Apologies, my king," Aqualad puts a hand to his chest- "But no."

Aquaman raises an eyebrow, almost threateningly.

"We did good work here tonight. The work you trained us to do." Aqualad slowly approaches the Justice League members. "Together, on our own, we forged something powerful _. Important_."

Flash cranes his neck. "If this is about your treatment at the hall, the four of you-"

"The _five_ of us. And it's not." Kid Flash butted in.

"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us." Robin says, stepping forwards. "Or why teach us at all?"

"We were a team here, in Cadmus. We worked together, cooperated. We're _ready_." Reyna looks at Batman and cocks her head a bit, as if you say, _Turn away, would you?_

"Why let them tell us what to do?" the clone, who has been silent for a while, barges forward. "It's simple. Get on board or get out of the way." The rest of the teammates look forward, facing the Leaguers.

Batman's eyes narrow, but he doesn't say no.


	9. Bialya

Connor looks around at the room. One moment he was being electrocuted and now nothing? He sees, with his heat sensor vision, a camouflaged girl having a, what, eye battle? With a guy with a transparent head. Connor can see his brain. In the other side of the room, a girl cuffed to a table is spasming and jerking wildly. The girl has a domino mask along with combat boots and a cloak. Then he looks at the camouflaged girl again. He has to help her! Just in time, the sphere crashes into his cuffs, freeing him, and he leaps, takes out a dozen soldiers or so, and accidentally brushes the girl's knee. Connor is instantly sucked into a world. The girl has green skin and orange hair, with a pretty face.

"Connor!" She cries. Who the hell is Connor?

The girl exchanges angry words with the other psychic person, then turns to him and grabs him. Memory floods through him. He's Connor Kent, Superman's clone, found in Project Cadmus. The girl strapped to the table is-

 _Shadow!_

He smiles at M'gann while holding her hand.

"Kick his butt." He says. Then Connor lets go, and he's sucked into reality. The sphere's taking care of the soldiers, so he quickly unstraps Shadow from the table runs as the tent is blown backwards by a telekinesis-caused tornado. He sets Shadow down.

"I'll be back." He mutters, then jumps into the tornado.

TIME SKIP

 _We're coming home with Supey and Shadow._ M'gann says telepathically. They see the bioship in range, so M'gann floats all three of them down. Shadow is still unconscious, but she's still.

"Shadow! What's wrong with her?" Robin runs out first, and Connor thinks how cute it is he cares so much about his partner.

"What about Kaldur?" M'gann asks.

"He's hydrated. We have to get Shadow in." Nobody argues as Wally lifts Shadow from the ground gently, and speed back, laying her on a bed.

"What's wrong with her?" Robin asks, again as he peers at Shadow.

"I don't know. I saw her jerking in the tent, but-" Robin cuts in.

"Anything besides her? Chemicals? Pills?" He looks at Superboy.

"Um, I found this, if it might help." Connor passes a glass jar quarter full of weird liquid to Robin.

"I thought so." Robin narrows his eyes.

"What?" The team simultaneously asks.

"This right here? It's Arsenic. They injected it in her, a lot by the look of it, and that's why she's unconscious and jerking. Her body naturally repels the chemicals. Sometimes, though, it takes some effort and time. They probably did this to her more than once. Experiments, maybe." The Boy Wonder digs out a syringe from his utility belt and injects something into the Girl Wonder's arm. Almost immediately, her eyes snap open and she hurls a fist at Robin's face. He dodges.

"Woah!" Robin looks at her, concerned.

"Robin?" The now awake girl squints at him.

"Yeah, it's me. You're not, uh, dead or anything." He grins awkwardly.

"My head." She rubs it sheepishly and tries to sit up.

"Woah- you are not going anywhere, Shadow, rest." Artemis pushes Shadow back on the bed.

"Fine." She huffs. "Oh, and Robin?"

"Yeah?" he looks at her.

"It's nice to see a familiar face around here. I like your hair." She runs a hand through it and smiles.


	10. Abandoned

Shadow looks at the team fighting.

"Left, Rob. Left. You always get that wrong." She sighs as he made his way towards her.

"Do I?" he says, a smirk on his lips, and she can't stop herself from blushing.

"Shut up." She mutters.

"Authorized: Zatanna, 2-5." The computer voice speaks. Everybody stops training as Zatara fiddles with the control monitors and a girl walks through. She's wearing a purple strap shirt with brown slacks, and has glossy black hair with blue eyes.

"Is training over? I would have liked Zatanna to see them in combat." Zatara says to Black Canary.

"Hey! I'm Robin, that's Wally, Connor, Artemis and M'gann." Before she knows it, Robin's right in front of the girl.

"Robin, I'm a human being who is also a member of the team, so don't you think I should be introduced to too?" Frankly, Shadow's a little hurt he didn't introduce her. But hey, boys, right?

"Hi, I'm Zatanna." The girl cutely and innocently smiles at Robin. Right. Like she's any of the two things.

"So, is she joining the team?" Robin asks Zatara.

"We don't know yet." Black Canary says.

"So… let's give her a tour! This is the main room, where we have our combat sessions…" Robin leaps forward.

Shadow wordlessly follows them. Kaldur falls behind with the group to apologetically smile at her.

"I hope you'll forgive him. He's quite immature, really, and just a small boy."

"A small boy who beats up criminals in the night? Yeah." Shadow snorts.

Just then she hears, "You'll fit into this team great!" from Robin, and them giggling about something.

"Kaldur, you coming? Shadow?" Robin's standing at the doorway, looking at them. "We're going to the bioship to kidnap Zatanna! We're finding Red Tornado." Kaldur heads towards Robin, but Reyna looks at Robin.

"Just go kiss your new girlfriend. Even if you actually wanted me to come, in which you don't, I believe you've found a better, prettier replacement for me." And before Robin can say anything, she walks off and slams the door behind her.

TIME SKIP

The fifth sandbag spills across the floor and Reyna hooks another one up.

"Sixth one." Black Canary says, nodding.

"Where is Zatanna?" Zatara says, infuriated.

"Oh, them? Stupid Mr. Birdface and the rest of the team kidnapped her. They're tracking down Red Tornado. I bet they're having lots of fun." Reyna swings a kick and the sandbag lurches. Not powerful enough.

 _He forgot to introduce you,_ a voice says. _He forgot you as soon as he saw a pretty girl walk through the doorway._

Reyna punches the sandbag, and the contents spill out.

"-they're good kids. I'm sure Zatanna's fine." She hears Black Canary says.

Reyna wordlessly hooks up another sandbag.

TIME SKIP

The kids walk away from the hangars, laughing. Zatanna blushes at something Robin just said.

"Hey." She says, sarcasm clearly dripping off her voice, "Did you have a good time?"

Robin opens his mouth to answer, but falters when he sees the sand on the floor.

"Nine? You got through nine sandbags?" Robin asks.

"Yeah, in my brain, all these sandbags had your face painted on them." Reyna snarls, then starts sweeping up her mess. "Maybe you should start paying more goddamn attention to your best friend."

"She's your best friend, Robin? You never told me." Zatanna looks at Rob with honest-to-god eyes.

"Yeah. I bet he didn't." Reyna says.


	11. Chapter 11

The whole team looks shaken up. Then again, they've been looking shaken up for days. Because of Failsafe. Robin closes his eyes.

 _FLASHBACK_

"You knew we wouldn't survive- and you, you came on purpose?" Reyna looks at him with big eyes he can't, admittedly, really see. But they're beautiful.

"Go! Shadow travel out of here! M'gann and J'onn is already out!" he shouts.

"I won't leave you." She says.

"You have to, Reyne. We can't leave Wally." Reyne, please.

"Robin…." She looks at him.

"Go!" He shouts and pushes her towards the shadows.

"No." Reyne says. What?

"Please Reyne!" he shouts.

"No. I'm not leaving you guys here." Stupid Reyna! She has to go!

"Reyna… I love you." 5 seconds.

"And I'll be with you forever." He doesn't know what comes over him, he kisses her, just on the cheek, and shoves her back, separating him and her with the metal fireproof wall.

On the other side of the wall, he hears Reyna screaming and banging her hands against the wall pointlessly.

 _Goodbye, Reyne. I love you._

His body is engulfed in fire.

 _FLASHBACK END_

"Robin? Robin!" Artemis is shaking him.

"What?" he peers up at her.

"Your turn."

He makes an _oh_ with his mouth, then goes inside. Next to him, the next person moves up a seat- Reyna.

"Now… Robin, let's talk about Operation Failsafe."

They're ten minutes into the conversation when he starts to cling onto every word.

"I don't… I don't want to be the Batman anymore." He says, burying his face in his hands. Images flash through his mind.

' _Go!' Kaldur says._

 _Artemis is zapped by the beam._

 _Wolf leaps in front of Superboy._

 _Wally's scared look._

 _The bomb._

 _Shadow staring at him._

"Robin!" He snaps back into reality.

"Yeah?" _Why am I having it the worst?_

 _You stayed alive for so long in that nightmare._ A voice says.

 _And you're not having it the worst,_ the voice says again. _M'gann is._

"Let's talk about Shadow and your reaction." Black Canary's looking at him intently.

"I have to go." Robin stands up, opens the door and walks through the corridor. In the hallway, he sees Shadow's sunglassed eyes. He sees his reflection in them, angry yet scared, a boy playing tough.

 _I hate myself,_ he says.


	12. Back to the Circus

Robin, or Dan Danger, as to say, swings on the bars, flips, and struggles to catch M'gann, Dawn Danger's hand. Shadow, or as to say Dina Danger, grabs the bars where Robin left off and watches as Dean Danger, Superboy, barrels Robin to Megan. She grabs his hands, Shadow hooks her legs on the bars, grab Robin's hand, and hoists him to the high platform.

 _God, It feels so good to be back in the circus. In Haly's Circus._

She swings once, Megan helping her, and lands right beside Robin. On the other side of Rob, she hears Miss Martian ask, "How are you feeling?" and Rob answering, "Pretty lousy, actually. Help me backstage."

Backstage Robin's sweating and basically not looking very well.

"Robin?" she looks at him and puts a hand on his forehead. Hot, but not much to worry about.

He groans. "Ouch, I feel terrible."

"Maybe you should-"M'gann starts, but Robin cuts her off.

"Rest? No! I'm fine!" He smiles weakly at her and the team. Shadow leans down and whispers, "Dick, you have any… nightmares or anything since we've been here? About, you know… the flying Graysons maybe?"

"Just a little bit." He shrugs. "Nothing much."

"Oh… Okay." She wants to tell him she's been having nightmares, but she's afraid he'll treat her like some fragile thing.

Red Arrow, or Dane Danger, clears his throat. "So-"

"We leave in two hours!" Haly pokes his head through the curtain and shouts.

TIME SKIP

Robin dreams of the Graysons again.

" _Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce…."_

" _The flying Graysons!"_

 _Dick sees younger Dick's elated eyes, flicker down to Reyna, where she's grinning and waving. He sees younger Dick rubbing his hands to get the smooth chalk together, stretching her hands towards the uneven bars when-_

 _NO!_

 _The Graysons fall, and younger Dick sinks to his knees. But then something that didn't really happen happens. Instead of running towards him, Reyna walks away from him._

" _Your mom's hands were a millimeter away from yours. You didn't try hard enough!"_

 _Bruce's hand clenches his shoulder and spins him around._

" _It's your fault! You could have saved them!"_

 _Mary Grayson rises from her broken form and glares heatedly at Dick._

" _You imbecile! You never do anything right!"_

 _No. No. NO!_

 _John Grayson rises from his bleeding body._

" _I blame you for our death. I can't even call you my own son!"_

 _NO!_

"Robin!" a voice shouts. "Robin, wake up!"

He rubs his eyes and looks around at Superboy and Red Arrow peering down at him.

"Wha- What happened?" he asks them. He can still remember the words they said in his dream.

"You were having a nightmare, basically hitting yourself and everything. We tried to wake you up, but…" Red shrugs apologetically.

"Hey, where's Dawn, Diane and R- I mean, Sh- I mean, Dina?" he looks at the empty bunks, wondering where they could have gone.

"Robin, we couldn't sleep with you and Shadow both like that- the girls are having some girl-time by themselves. This place is to ourselves." Red Arrow gestures to the bunks. "What were you dreaming about?" Red Arrow says, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh, nothing." Robin says. "Just some old issues."


	13. Cuts and Threats

Reyna sighs and heads towards her room. Normally she would consult Dick's Room, The Fireplace, Alfred's Company or The Batcave, but since today was an amazingly tiring day, she decides to go to her own room, where she can hopefully get a little silence and some meditation. But when she opens the door, she gets a surprise.

"Deathstroke!" she growls and with quick reflexes, hurls a batarang at him.

"Better, darling, but not enough. Never enough." Deathstroke catches the batarang and crumples it up in his hand. Reyna starts thinking. Dick's still in the Batcave, Batman's on a solo mission, Alfred's probably in the living room, so the closest choice is Alfred. Alfred can defend himself, but not against a man like Deathstroke, and Dick-

"I can almost hear your brain whirl, _Shadow_." He smiles eerily. "You knew I would know? The shadow magic tipped me off, and of course, since I'm a mercenary and I trained you, I believe you expected it." Slade moves over a seat on her bed. "Sit down, love. You can't just stand like that."

"Don't call me love." She snaps. "And I'll find my own seat." She crosses her legs and folds her hands over them in the classic lotus pose of meditation.

"Oh, I did tell you to stop floating like you're a hovering aircraft in meditation, didn't I?" Slade raises an eyebrow, but she stays hovering.

"Why are you here?" she says, as alert as ever.

"Oh, dear, I think you would know! Your Martian friend, did you know her true form?" he tilted his head. "The Superboy's shields he sticks on his arm, a gift from Lex Luthor his other father?" Slade leans back and releases his mask with a hiss of air. "That your friend Artemis' bloodline traces to Cheshire, her sister and Sportsmaster, her father?" Slade is making himself comfortable now. "I guessed that you would know. You _are_ hand trained by me." He smirks. Reyna's blood boils.

"I knew all of those things. I didn't tell anyone except Robin, and still I left out the part about Miss Martian. You know why? I didn't want the team from falling apart!"

"Darling girl." Slade purrs, reaching out a hand to stroke her cheek. "Meet me at you-know-where. Meeting point 19." He says.

"Or what? You'll ground me? You can't boss me around anymore!" Outside she sounds tough, but inside she's shaking.

"Or… I tell your bloodline secret to your friends. How I'm your father, and you were personally trained by me and the league of shadows." He smiles coldly and fingers his white beard.

"What if even that won't convince me?" she snarls. He's _threatening_ her.

"Or your little friend Robin, or Dick Grayson, who interests me quite a bit, will suffer a tragic accident. Several tragic accidents, if you get my meaning." Slade lifts her chin up with his first and index finger. "Time to change sides, girl, you don't want your friend getting hurt." He puts his mask back on, then plants a foot on the windowsill and looks back. "If you want a job somewhere, I'm always open to a potential protégé like you." He winks and leaps out. Reyna crashes onto the bed, the faint smell of Deathstroke's cologne wafting into her nostrils. She picks up the batarang and puts it on the table. Then she takes a new one from her pocket, and slides it across her almost healed wrists. Blood drips out, and she watches it fall and pool.


	14. Secrets of the past

**Hi guys! RobinandNightwing here, and I just wanted to say thanks for all the good comments. For the mysterious Mr. 'Guest' posting flames, I just wanted to politely say stop discouraging authors and sorry if my** _ **oh-so-stupid**_ **stories offended Young Justice perfectionists! (Note the sarcasm) Yeah, the usual. And also, I'm thinking about posting a new story, and I am so gonna make it Dick X OC, because I can never get enough of em! They're wonderful… the light of my life! *Cries* I can't make promises, but I will try to make the one after next an un-Dick X OC story. So… Bye!**

 **Artemis: *Facepalm***

"This one of your friends now?" Connor says, staring at the chopper slowly descending.

"No, my boy." Lex says. "One of yours."

The chopper door opens and it shows Artemis at shotgun, riding with Cheshire as the pilot. Artemis sees him, then gasps.

"Artemis?" he gasps.

Artemis starts walking towards Sportsmaster.

"The arrow thing wasn't working out. The thing is, no trust." Sportsmaster puts a hand on her shoulder, and she smiles. "This is where I belong."

A bioship speeds over and M'gann floats out, then gasps when she sees Superboy.

"Why are they here?" M'gann says, sounding angry yet scared.

"I've kept your secret and my promise." Queen bee says angrily. "Now you keep yours."

M'gann's head droops.

"Good girl." Queen bee says.

Deathstroke checks his watch.

"Any time now." He says. A rustle, and a girl comes out of the woods. A familiar girl with a hooded cloak.

"Shadow?" Connor says in a disbelieving tone. Artemis' mouth opens and closes like a fish.

"Kept your promise, did you?" Deathstroke smiles eerily.

"Did you keep yours…. Father? "Shadow looks at him, then flickers down again.

"Yes, yes. I don't get why you care for that blasted child so much, but yes."

Lex looks at Connor.

"Give me more shields, and I'm in too." Connor says.

"My boy, you really are a terrible liar." Lex says. Connor tries to lunge, but Lex says "Red Sun." and Connor shuts down, staring into nothingness. Artemis steps forward.

"What do you want us to do?" she says.

"You three, follow me." Sportsmaster says, jabbing his thumb behind him.

"Wh- What about Superboy?" M'gann stutters.

"Oh, he'll be fine. He simply requires a few… adjustments." Queen bee plants her hands on her hips and grins.

FLASHBACK

"There's something I need to do." Connor says.

 _Crap!_

"Something I need to tell you. Last month, on Thanksgiving, I went back to Cadmus. I found a few things out. When I was cloned, only half of the DNA was Superman's. The other half was human. That's why I don't have- why I never have full kryptonian powers." Superboy looks down.

"You sure? Cause you sure seemed to have them today." Robin says, grinning.

Connor pulls up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing an octagon sticker.

"I've been using these- Shields. They suppress my human DNA, I get the flight, the heat vision. But I think it also makes me angry. Well, angrier." Connor tilts his head. "I'm sorry."

"Where did you get those?" Kaldur demands.

"From my human father, Lex Luthor." Everybody gasps- well, everybody except her.

"Lex Luthor- is your dad?" Robin exclaims, his eyes wide.

"Wha- wait, Shadow, did you know about this?" Robin looks at her, narrowing his eyes.

"I ain't saying anything." Shadow turns her face up, looking innocent except for the smirk on her face.

"He summoned me to Santa Prisca." Connor says.

FLASHBACK END

"Bring him along." Lex says to Desmond. He grunts and heads towards Superboy. Artemis runs up, and fires an arrow.

FLASHBACK

A few more moments of silence, then Artemis steps up.

"Uh, listen… Superboy isn't the only one suffering from bad DNA." Arteims says, biting her lip, steps forward and types something on the computer. 3 files pop up- Huntress, Sportsmaster and Cheshire.

"My mother is Huntress, an ex-con. Rest of my family aren't even ex. My dad, Sportsmaster, is sending my sister, Cheshire, to fly me to Santa Prisca." As soon as Artemis finishes, KF speeds over.

"So that's why- "Wally gets cut off by Artemis. "Yeah. I was so desperate to make sure no one found out."

"I knew!" Robin and Shadow say in unison.

The rest of the team, startled, turns towards the two youngest members. Artemis looks stricken by lightning.

"We're detectives, remember?" Robin grins.

"But it never mattered." Shadow looks at Artemis and smiles.

"You are in your family." Robin says. "You're one of us."

FLASHBACK END

The arrow whizzes towards Blockbuster and encases him in green foam.

"Sorry dad!" Artemis shouts. "Wanted to play you like you played me, but I can't let him mess with Superboy's head!"

 _Megan, be a dear and take Artemis down._ Queen bee says telepathically.

M'gann uses her telekinesis to lift Artemis into the air. She flips.

FLASHBACK

"Well, who's next then?" Wally says, leaning on Artemis' shoulder.

" I am." M'gann says in a small voice.

"I swear I was kidding." KF puts up his hands in a OMG gesture.

"Queen bee's been blackmailing me. She wants me in Santa Prisca too." M'gann says.

"Blackmailing you? How?" Kaldur asks.

"She knows my true Martian form." M'gann says. KF blinks.

"Bald M'gann? Who cares if-" Robin says.

"No." M'gann sighs and changes- into a skinless alien. The other team members step back an inch or so. Connor faces M'gann directly now.

"I realized you would never accept me if you saw who I really am." She says.

"M'gann, did we truly seem so shallow?" Kaldur asks.

"I couldn't take the chance. In Mars, being a white Martian among the green- I endured constant rejection. I couldn't face that in front of-" M'gann looked on the edge of crying.

"In front of me?"

Connor steps forward.

"I've known since we mind-melted last September in Bialya." Connor takes M'gann's skeletal hand.

"But that was before we even became a couple!" M'gann says, voice laced with fear. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I figured you would tell me when you were ready." He looks up at her.

FLASHBACK END

M'gann sends Queen bee knocking against a tree and releases Artemis. She flips, shooting an arrow at Sportsmaster and Cheshire, and lands on the ground.

 _Queen bee's down. Superboy, you're safe for patrol._ M'gann brodcasts. Superboy's eyes brighten, and he walks towards Lex.

"I may not be much of a liar, but I pretty much fooled you." Superboy snarls.

"And I'm so proud." Lex says. In the corner, Deathstroke looks at Shadow.

"Girl, what is the meaning of this?" he says, drawing his two swords.

"It means, _Father_ , you can finally stop calling me _Girl_." She draws her twin swords and spins them in her hands.

FLASHBACK

"Guys, I've also got to… confess." Shadow pulls her hood up, walks over to the controls and types something. This time it's only two files- of Deathstroke, and of Ra'as Al Ghul

"My father is Deathstroke. I trained with him, and Ra'as Al Ghul in the League of Shadows, then I escaped. And I'm… I'm not rejecting it. I'm not hiding it. Although Batman is gonna seriously kill me." She says, a smile on her lips.

"Then how did Deathstroke convince you to go to Santa Prisca?" Kaldur says.

"Easy. By threatening and blackmailing." She says simply.

"Blackmailing… you?" Robin asks, cocking his head.

"No." Shadow looks at him from under her hood, which is all Robin needs.

"Me? He blackmailed you with… me?" Robin looks disbelieving.

"He wants me to come to Santa Prisca."

FLASHBACK END

"Well, Slade, the blackmailing didn't really work, did it? Sad for you." She grins and circles him.

"You idiot! Now he shall perish!" Slade hisses and strikes. Shadow dances back and ducks a swing. Then something totally unexpected happens.

Slade drops one of his swords, and sheathes the other.

"What the hell?" Shadow looks at him.

"Sheathe your swords. We shall see if you have… improved." Slade smiles and goes into the standard fighting pose- legs apart, right arm more behind than the left. Reyna slides her twin swords in her sheathe, even though her common sense is telling her not to. She smiles.

"As quoted from Skulduggery Pleasant, Come and have a go at me,"  
"If you think you're hard enough."


	15. The Kiss

_I hate you I love you_

 _I hate that I love you_

 _Don't want to but I can't put_

 _Nobody else above you_

Reyna checks the blueprints again and looks at the machine on the table.

Red Tornado is intact with one arm reconnected.

She fiddles with a wire and hears something.

Shadow whips around, a batarang in her hand.

Batman is standing there, his face expressionless as usual.

"Batman." She puts away the batarang and starts fiddling with the wire again.

"Shadow." He nods in acknowledgement, as usual.

"So what brings you to your protégé?" Shadow almost drops the wire at a blue spark.

Batman is silent for a while.

"Good work." He says finally.

"Thanks." She replies. "Now please go tell the same thing to Robin, assuming you haven't already.

"Don't judge him too hard. He's thirteen years old." Batman says in his hoarse whisper-talk-shout kind of voice.

" _I'm_ thirteen." She says. "Plus, I have no idea what on earth you're talking about."

"I know you got hurt by being left out." Curse Batman and his detective skills.

"I wasn't left out. Kaldur wasn't doing anything either."

"Rocket kissed him."

"Whatever! Look, the point is… I am most definitely not mad at Bird Boy."

"You only call him that when you're mad at him."

Curses!

"Well, it's not like I don't have a right to be mad at him."

"He's young."  
"So am I!"

"You're not helping."  
"Neither are you!"

Batman is silent, then he walks out saying, "I get it you don't want to talk."

"You're so right." She says. "I don't."

And at that miraculously bad timing the Boy Wonder sticks his head through the door. Reyna bites her lip.

 _He kissed Zatanna. Magician Girl._

She throws a batarang and it misses Robin's face by an inch.

"Woah!" he says. "What'd I do?"

"Being here is plenty bad enough." She growls. "Get- the- hell- out!"

Robin gets the message and closes the door. Reyna types on the computer, Red Tornado now with a leg and an arm, and activates his voice box.

"I take it you are mad at Robin?" Red says in his robotic tone.

"Yeah. That pretty much explains it." She smiles. Red is AI, so at least he doesn't probe like the others would.

"I have seen and heard the entire conversation between you and Batman. I, for one, think Batman may be right."

"Urgh! Not you too! I already told Batman and Robin and his stupid _girlfriend_ and Kaldur and everybody! I. Am. Okay."

"I meant to say that human customs still elude me very much. What is this… habit?"

"Kissing or dating or what? It's better not to know." She says, a smile on her lips.

"So… may you reattach the rest of my limbs?" Red says.

"Of course."


	16. Future Jobs and Policemen

"Choice 1: Chemistry. Dick, are you even listening?" A certain girl named Reyna Wilson is bending over her paper, sighing and, of course, snapping his fingers in front of Dick Grayson's nose.

"Huh? Yeah! I was totally listening! Why do we have to do this again? It's not like Bruce or the school is making us do it." The boy with the jet-black hair complains.

"We're doing it, Dick, because we need to go to university in a year or two, and we need to prepare. Now, please do not fall asleep, and what is your first choice of subjects?" Reyna asks Dick, and he is saved by a song suddenly turning on. _Heathens_ by 21 Pilots, to be exact.

"What is that creepy music?" Dick says, startled.

"My phone ringing. And the song is _not_ creepy!" Reyna takes out her phone and turns it on. The caller ID says Wally West, and it is set to video call.

"Should we take it?" Dick whispers, laughing. "We have a very important and top secret future subject and job issue going on, after all!"

The raven-haired girl scowls and presses the green button. Almost immediately, expanded faces of Wally West and Artemis Crock zooms up.

"Hi, Wally!" Dick says, his face brightening. "You saved me! Thank you so much!"

"Uh, from what?" Wally looks confused.

"From answering Reyna's question- _What subject would you take at university, and which job would you want to have?_

Wally feigns crying. "I know. Artemis made me do one before college. I swear, if I didn't do one, I would have died already. It saved my life."

"Wally! Anyways, what are you doing?" Artemis elbows her boyfriend in the ribs.

"Dick was trying to sleep. I think I might take psychology, maybe chemistry." Reyna grins.

"Well, just saying, chemistry in college is awesome." Wally gives them a thumbs-up.

"What should Dickie do?" Reyna ruffles his hair, making it even messier than it is before.

"Uh, I dunno, Computer science? Hacker?" Wally scratches the back of his neck.

"Wally, I think you're having a bad influence on these young and innocent minds." Artemis says.

"Yeah, these young and innocent minds who hack computers and beat up supervillains in the night." Wally snorts.

"Good point." Artemis admits, "But you know what I'm thinking, right?"

"Yeah." Reyna says. "Perfect body structure for the job. Flexible, fast, strong- "

"Both commanding and able to follow orders." Wally says. "Making the right choices."

"Hardworking on duty." Artemis continues. "Devoted to duty and job."

"What are you guys _talking_ about?" Dick looks at them, confused.

"Your future job." They say in unison.

"Well, what should I be, then?" Dick stares at each of them in turn.

"GCPD." They say again, in harmony.


	17. Boyfriends and glares

**I am getting really tired of being polite and waiting for your flames to stop. So here is a nice suggestion for you: Mr. 'Guest', because your comments are getting mildly annoying, like rashes. Not like I've had rashes, it's just an expression. Anyways. The suggestion. Here it is: If you think my story sucks so much, why do you even bother to look at the goddamned thing? Also, don't judge it so harshly. It's just a hobby!**

 _Needle in the thread got to get you out of my head_

 _Needle in the thread gonna wind up dead_

 _Needle in the thread got to get you out of my head_

 _Needle in the thread gonna wind up dead_

Klarion the witch boy zaps lightning at La'gaan. He dodges and tries to smash the red force bubble with his magic tattoos.

"You can't stop me with that! Teekl?" The witch boy says in the annoying whiny voice.

"Your voice is annoying." Says Wonder Girl, and looks behind her to see a giant tiger that used to be Teekl the harmless cat lunge at her.

"Uh-oh! Superboy, some help here?" she wrestles the beast's fangs away from her and punches it in the temple. The large cat looks unfazed and snaps at her.

"Supey! Give me a hand!" a certain masked girl who goes by the name of Shadow nods at the clone, and the boy gives a thumbs-up. He grabs the superheroine's hands and launches her towards the giant tiger. The poor mammal turns to a kick in the face, and Wonder Girl swings her lasso around Teekl's neck and pulls. The cat slams into a wall. Klarion flickers.

"No!" he yells, but it's too late- the cat and him both disappear.

"Nice work, team." The tall supervisor looks at all of them. "Now hit the showers."

The holograms fade and they grumble about their aching bones. M'gann, always just in time, comes in from the zeta tubes and flies over to La'gaan.

"La'gaan!" she says. "You tired?"

"Not enough to be with you, Angelfish." He replies, and Superboy guffaws behind him. Shadow grins brightly, tiptoes, and kisses him.

"Are you still jealous, Supey?" she says in a playful tone.

"Not anymore." He smiles and wraps his arms around her waist. Behind him, he feels Nightwing's glare boring holes into his back.

"I'm going to hit the showers." He says a matter-of-factedly, and detaches himself from his girlfriend. She shrugs.

"Okay, then." She brushes her lips against his cheek. "Get along then." Superboy glances uneasily behind him and walks out of the room.


	18. A lot of Frickings

**Okay all the people who are complaining about me criticizing Mr. guest or whatever. I just wanted to say I am tremendously sorry for being mean like that but for my defense, I was under a lot of stress and my fricking sister was being fricking annoying again and the fricking VPN wasn't fricking working and I again almost stepped on a Chinese pile of fricking sh*t and anyways I am really sorry, okay? I was kind of pissed off at that time. I hope you'll forgive me.**

 **Superboy: You're overreacting.**

 **Aqualad: We forgive you. Everyone makes mistakes, do they not? (Sorry he sounds kind of like J'onn or Yoda there.)**

 **Yoda: Sounds like me, he does.**

 **Artemis: Meh.**

 **Dick: You're saying a lot of frickings.**

 **Wally: *eating protein bar* what?**

 **M'gann: It's okay.**

 **Zatanna: I miss my dad.**

 **Doctor Fate: I will not release Zatara.**

 **Everyone: We know.**

 **Me: You kind of ruined the mood there, Naboo.**

Nightwing and Shadow are having a fight. And when they're fighting, you do not want to be in the same building as them. Or the same planet, for that matter. Or the same universe, just to be safe.

"WHAT IS YOUR GODDAMN PROBLEM?" yells a voice from the cave. M'gann quickly covers Beast Boy's ears.

"WHAT IS MY PROBLEM? WHAT IS YOUR FRICKING PROBLEM? I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG!"

"NOTHING? OH REALLY?" The enraged girl in front of Nightwing narrows her eyes at him. "I have personally seen that you keep glaring at my boyfriend! Why is that I am dating Superboy so big of a problem?"

"It is a problem because I disapprove of your relationship." Nightwing glares at her with the equal amount of menacing.

"What? You sound so much like Batman! And I disapproved of your relationship with Zatanna but you dated her anyway!" Shadow growls.

"That's- different." He says. "And don't you dare say I'm like Batman. I am nothing like him."

She huffs and grabs the boy's collar, and starts dragging him towards the zeta tubes.

"What are you- ow! Doing?" Nightwing struggles against the other 18-year-old's grip.

"Taking a walk. In case you didn't notice, we are making a big enough racket to attract the attention of my great-grandpa." Nigthwing looks around and sees everyone staring at them.

"But your great-grandpa is dead." He says, confused.

"Exactly, dumbass. We're going to Gotham." She says, pulling him up by his hand.

" _Nightwing, B-01. Shadow, B-02."_ The zeta beam voice says, then the pair disappears in a flash.

"Tell me I did not see that." Bart stares at the zeta tubes.

"You saw that." Says Jaime.


	19. Kisses and Mistakes

**Guys… hope you saw the last chapter A/N…. Also, for those of you who don't get it, the random scenes are trying to tell the highlights of Reyna's life.**

Nightwing's foot is planted on the block, while his other is on the rooftop floor. He's down at the crime scene. The two robbers are hog-tied to the lamppost, unconscious, and the police are collecting them.

"You know, about that argument we had at the cave…" Reyna starts.

"I still don't approve." He says.

"Yeah? Like you're my parent?" she snaps at him.

"We all know your parent isn't exactly a 'responsible' adult." He says, then regrets it.

"You had to bring that up." The masked girl in front of him sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Get back to the topic. Why is it so much of a damn problem?"

It's hard to see how much she's grown, because most things are all still the same to him- same attitude, same tone of voice, same maturity tinged with humor.

"He's bigger than you." He says.

"No he's not. Biologically he's only, what, 6? Or something like that."

"I know, but-"

"Other excuse."

"It is a problem because he belongs with M'gann." It's lame, he knows, but Nightwing doesn't want her to be with Superboy.

"What? After they broke up and M'gann leaves him for La'gaan?" she sniffs. "Doesn't seem like much of a problem there."

"As much as they hate to admit it, they have still got feelings for each other." He says, stubbornly.

"Why do you hate me being with Connor? The real reason. Not a fake one." She glares at him expectantly.

"Why do you absolutely need to know?"

"Cause it's my business. You're glaring at my boyfriend."

He sighes. Sometimes he hates Shadow's stubbornness.

"It's because…" he hesitates. "Can we discuss this with a burger?"

Half an hour later they're sitting at the big belly burger with a burger sitting in front of each of them.

"Now tell me. You have delayed this fricking subject for long enough. Why?" she demands.

He takes a bite of his burger. _Please after the burger… Please after the burger…_

"Not. After. The. Burger!" she growls menacingly.

He suddenly realizes that he'll have to tell her someday, somehow, no matter what.

He doesn't say anything.

Suddenly, a hand lifts his chin up to meet a pair of clear green ones, and unlike usual, they are brimming with emotion.

"Tell me, Dickie." She says softly. "Please. I need to know."

"Fine." He takes a deep breath, but when he draws them out, they come out jagged and sharp.

"Why?" she asks.

"Because…"

 _Because I like you. A lot._ His inner voice says. _Time to let the emotions run loose!_

 _Shut up,_ he tells his inner voice. _You sound like a cowboy. Did you even take your pills this morning?_

"Because I like you." He blurts out.

 _Yahoo! You did it! Now go pat yourself on the back!_ The inner voice says. Again.

 _You definitely didn't take your pills,_ he confirms.

"Dickie, we're friends. I know you like me. You're my best friend." Reyna reaches over and puts a reassuring hand on his knee.

"Not like…. In the way you think." He says.

"What?" she looks mildly confused.

"In another way." He says, waiting for her to get it.

"Oh... you mean… wait, what?" she blinks and her eyes furrow. She looks like she just realizes that her face is a few inches apart from his

"In this way." He says, and closes the gap.

It takes a few minutes for Dick to realize he isn't the only one kissing.

She's kissing back.

After a few seconds she tears away from him and stares at him, like she just realized she kissed him.

"Oh, god- Dickie- Connor- I have a- Oh, god."

She slides a twenty dollar note on the table and rushes out of the doorway.


	20. Blood and Kisses

Reyna cheated on Superboy.

And she hates herself for it.

" _Authorized."_ The voice says. _"Shadow. B-02."_

 _Maybe Connor isn't here,_ she tells herself. _Maybe he's somewhere else._

 _This crappy situation is all Nightwing's fault._ She thinks. But she knows it's her fault. It's totally her fault.

The cave's in her sight, and her pulse quickens. No such luck- Connor's just coming in with Wolf, when he sees her.

"Shadow!" he says, then jogs over to greet her.

"Hi…" she trails off. No such thing as disguising her tone. Why is this so fricking hard? She's been doing this since she was four, for god's sake!

"Is something wrong?" he immediately notices.

Curses.

"I'm fine- Connor. I just need some… space for the time being." From the corner of her eye she sees the zeta tubes activate.

" _Authorized."_ The voice says again. _"Nightwing. B-01."_

The light fades and she sees him- his stupidly charming messy hair, his happy expression, the stupid blue bird.

She grits her teeth. This is harder than she thought.

"I'll just leave you two boys to… whatever boys do."

She steps into the zeta tube, her arm brushing against Dick's. That's enough to make her flinch.

" _Authorized."_ Says the annoying voice. _"Shadow. B-02."_

The zeta tube beams flash.

She looks around at the junkyard, the cars littered everywhere, and steps out of the telephone booth.

Why here?

She sits down heavily on the ground, not minding the dust, and tears leak out through her mask. How did it all go so wrong?

FLASHBACK

Shadow looks at Connor, then at M'gann and La'gaan, laughing and enjoying crab cakes.

"Hey Connor." She sidles up to him and stares at him. "Are you still jealous of them? I thought you two broke up."  
Connor shifts his feet. "We did."

"Then you are jealous of La'gaan." She says accusingly, as the other members walk out. He walks towards the kitchen, where his couch is, and Wolf follows.

"I never said I was jealous." He says, and sits down on the couch. Wolf folds up his legs, and Connor scratches his ears.

"You really should move on. M'gann likes La'gaan. La'gaan likes her back." She advises, and he looks down at the floor.

"But who am I supposed to be with?" he mutters

"Well, for a start, there's that girl in school." She offers. "I really gotta go now."

She stands up.

"No, stay. I want- your advice." He looks at Wolf, and Wolf looks back.

"Dude, you should try to make more human friends than animal or machine ones." She still doesn't sit back down.

"Friends… like who?" he glances at the stove; Reyna has no idea why he did that.

"Like the whole team? Duh, genius!" she digs out her phone and checks it.

 _Need you,_ says the text. _Come quickly._

She types _Wait,_ then presses the send button.

"Like you? Or Wolf?" Connor stands up too.

"Where did the _you_ come from?" she bites her lip. The atmosphere is getting way too dangerous. Like a mine.

"From here." He looks at Wolf again, then at her, then kisses her.

A few seconds. That's all.

"My god. Supey." She raises an eyebrow. "I did not know you were that serious."

"You're too serious." He murmurs.

"I am… going." She looks at her phone again. The text reads:

 _NOW._

"Bye… Connor. See you someday, somehow, somewhere." She walks out of the room slowly, feeling lightheaded.

FLASHBACK END

 _My god, Dickie,_ she says mentally, _I didn't know you had that in you. A motivation to make girls cheat on their boyfriends._

She takes out a batarang from her belt, folding and unfolding it.

 _An eye for an eye,_ she thinks. _A tooth for a tooth._

She thinks of the first person she's ever killed, and takes a swipe at her wrists.

 _And blood for blood._

The blood trickles down and stains the ground red.


	21. Your fault

Dick Grayson faces Superboy, instantly full of guilt. Pleasantness, yes, but guilt.

"What. The. Hell. Happened. Between. You. Two." Superboy growls menacingly and glared at Dick.

Dick glances uneasily at the angry clone.

"Listen, Superboy- "

"My girlfriend ran away when she saw you and flinched when you touched her! I heard her heartbeat speed up when she saw you!"

"Superboy, we weren't doing anything!"

"Another lie. What did you do? Last Chance."

"All we did was have burgers, okay? Nothing big of a deal!"

"More. LIES! I want the truth, and I want it. Now."

"Look, I'm sorry if my heartbeat's speeding up, but why don't you just go ask Shadow or something?" he's slightly scared of the enraged clone. No- A lot scared.

"Fine." He spits out, then walks towards the zeta beams. He freezes.

"Change of plans, Nightwing." He snarls, then drags him towards the zeta tubes.

A flash of gold light.

They look around and see the junkyard.

"Junkyard. Why would she come here? Unless…" Dick slams the booth door open and looks around.

"Unless what?"

"Unless she doesn't want to be found."

"Shadow!" he shouts.

They run around until they see a body. A very familiar body, lying on the ground.

The person's holding a batarang stained with blood. She's wearing civvies, with sunglasses. Her hair's hanging over her face, and her wrists are shiny and slick with blood. Nightwing runs over and turns over Shadow's unconscious figure, face up.

"I can hear her heartbeat." Superboy breathes with relief.

"Why would she do this?" Nightwing brushes a strand of hair from her face and pries the batarang from her hand.

"You were the one who was scaring her, Nightwing." Superboy says, fists clenched.

Nightwing doesn't reply. Instead, he presses the earpiece.

"Miss Martian, Lagoon boy, requesting help. Shadow's down."

"We'll be there in a minute." Comes the reply, and Nightwing starts to look at her wrists.

"Cuts. Lots of them. Reopened scars, old ones. There's a lot- she's been doing this for quite some time." He notes. "But most of them are healed."

"Which makes you the prime cause for her cutting- "Superboy's cut off by M'gann and Lagoon boy running towards them.

"What's- Shadow!" M'gann flies over and kneels down, looking at Reyna.

"Take the zeta tube, go to Gotham and fly her to the nearest hospital." Nightwing says to M'gann.

"All right." M'gann floats Shadow towards the zeta tubes.

The last thing Nightwing sees is Shadow's hand, loose and bloody.


	22. Blood for Blood

Dick looks at the door in the hospital, then at the whole lot of people sitting next to him- Bart, Jaime, Megan, Cassie, Barbara, Karen, Mal, Raquel, Connor, Tim (Sunglassed), and of course, Bruce (Sunglassed). Even Wally and Artemis is there. Artemis is clutching Wally and looking worried.

 _The nurse is probably wondering why Reyna has so much family,_ he thinks as the nurse comes out. He straightens his sunglasses, and looks at his outfit- a black hooded jacket with a blue T-shirt, and black jeans.

"Family first." The nurse says, and three people stand up- Bruce, Tim, and himself.

"Who are all these people?" the nurse looks at the team.

"Friends." Bruce says.

"Okay." She says. "But she's asleep."

They walk towards the door, and Bruce swings it open. Inside, Reyna's sitting on the white bed, reading a book with her earphones on. She sees them, then sits up, pulls off the earphones and snaps shut the book.

"I thought the nurse said you were asleep." Tim says.

"I was lying." She sticks out a tongue. He can see that bandages are wrapped around her wrists.

"What were you thinking?!" Bruce exclaims. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Sorry. Never meant to cut that deep." She grins and takes a sip of water from the bedstand.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Tim runs over to the other side of the bed, and grabs her arm, looking at the bandages. "You almost killed yourself, for god's sake."

"You okay?" Dick takes her hand and instead of pulling away, she gently squeezes it.

"Bruce, I know you're worried about me and all that stuff, but… can you get out for a few minutes while I talk to Dickie? Preferably alone?"

"Kay." Tim nods and heads towards the door, but Bruce looks at them.

"Bruce!" she complains. "We'll be fine!"

He wordlessly slips out, Tim following him.

"Okay. I have… a confession." She takes a deep breath. "It's about why I- why I cut myself."

"It's because of me, isn't it." He glances at the bandages around her wrists.

"No- It's…" she bites her lip, and her eyes flicker down to the floor.

"Dick." She whispers, "I killed someone."

"What? Tell me I'm hearing this wrong." He can't believe his ears.

"It's the truth, ese." She looks at his hand and he sees a wet tear drip down onto the blankets.

"I… You didn't do it on purpose, did you?" he grips her hand.

"No, Dickie. Deathstroke- he made me do it- he gave me a knife and- Oh, god." She curls her knees up to her chest and sobs. He's never seen her so vulnerable.

"It's my fault. All my fault." She murmurs. He hesitates, then wraps her in a hug.

"It's not your fault." He reassures her.

"It is. I did it with my own body, even though I didn't have any control over my actions." She sobs into his chest.

"Not your fault." He says, pulling away.

"It is! I blame myself for it, and if I blame myself, it's my damn fault!" a tear slides down her cheek. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I killed him." She says. "Promise you won't tell?"

"Promise." Dick says. He has a new secret to keep.


	23. The Breakup

Connor walks into the room, heart pounding. He looks as Reyna hugs Artemis and her lips move. He concentrates, and can just hear the conversation.

"-not his fault. Not Connor's either."

"I don't think Connor's right for you." He hears Artemis say. "He belongs with Megan."

"So everyone says." Reyna sighs. "Okay, um everyone, can you guys get out?"

Superboy moves towards the door.

"Everyone… Except Connor."

The others all trail out.

"Okay." She says. "Now we can talk in private."

"Shadow- "he starts, but Shadow cuts in.

"I'm breaking up with you." She says.

"What? Is it because of Dick? What the hell did he do?" Connor looks angry.

"No- it's not like that, Connor, I'm sorry, but- "

"But what? You thought you would just go and try to seduce him or something, just because you used to have a damn crush on him- "In the inside, he's angrier.

"That's not fair, Connor. Using my own words against me. Plus, I told you that because I actually trusted you!"

"Well, you can quit trusting me, now that you've got a replacement guy!"

"He is not my replacement guy!"

"All you care about is getting to have someone to hold your hand when you need it! You don't actually care about your own fricking boyfriend, do you? Always trying so hard to seduce boys and everything." he winces at his own harsh words, but he can't take it back.

"Connor Kent!" it's amazing how a tone changes so fast from strained- straight to rage. "I DO NOT APPRECIATE BEING CALLED A WHORE!"

"I wasn't- I-"he shakes his head, confused.

"Get the hell out of this room, Connor." She says. "I am _not_ a whore."

He makes his way towards the door, but a hand grabs his wrist and grips it tight.

"Oh, and Connor?"

He turns around.

"I'm sorry."

Connor slips through the door, hoping nobody heard.

Everybody was staring at him.

"What?" he demanded.

"You broke up with her, didn't you?" Dick bites his lip and stares at the door, rather than at Connor.

"Yeah." Then he just _had_ to add one more word.

"Smartass."


	24. E equals MC hammer!

**In this version of the story, Wally doesn't die. Enjoy!**

"Hey." Says a voice into his earpiece, "If you get us late to dinner, I will murder you."

Dick smiles. "The usual."

"The usual." Reyna replies. "What's holding you up?"

Nightwing dodges a hit.

"The movie rental's attacking me." He says. "I think I didn't return the last film we watched. The thing about the genius who had a hallucination about his bestie who looks just like our science teacher?"

"Beautiful Mind." She answers. "Should I head out? We do need to go to Central City, you know."

"I still don't get why Wally couldn't come to Gotham. He's, like, the third fastest man alive. Couldn't he carry Artemis or something and come to our apartment?" Dick asks as he whacks Blockbuster with his escrima sticks.

"But he says he found this awesome place where we can eat and do a quiz-contest thing at the same time. Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris used to go there. They used the name E=MC hammer and they said it would be cool if there was, like a second generation of hammers." He can basically hear her shrug. "I'm heading out. And… taking your suit." Reyna uncrumples something from the other end. "Car is better than motorcycle, right?"

"Definitely car." Nightwing slams his sticks on Blockbuster's head and takes off.

"I'm coming as fast as I can, babe."

CAR AFTERDRIVE

Wally spots them coming in and elbows Artemis, and stares at her in awe, for the fifth time in a row. Artemis usually doesn't wear much makeup, but right now she has lipstick and eyeliner on. She's wearing a red strapless dress, which is weird because he didn't exactly strike her as a red kind of person, and matching red heels.

"Baywatch!" Artemis waves her hand in front of his face. "They're coming!"

Wally sees them walking over, and he wonders if they really are those scrawny kids from six years ago.

Dick looks totally at ease in his white button-up shirt, blue tie, black slacks and jacket. Reyna looks like she wants to whack the hell out of somebody- wearing a black strap dress with a slit in one side. They come over.

"Why the slit?" Wally points out the obvious.

"If I have to kick somebody." She grins.

He decides to stay away from her, just in case.

Artemis leans forward on her chair. "What're you up to nowadays?"

"The usual." Dick says. "Beating up bad guys, running around in spandex."

"No, babe." Reyna smacks his shoulder. "She means our _life_ life."

"Oh." He says. "Well, I got into GCPD, and uh…" he scratches the back of his neck. "She's a detective."

"What are you guys up to?" Reyna says, fingering a small coin.

"Wally proposed!" Artemis shrieks, holding out her hand and beaming. Reyna and Dick stares at the green emerald, set in the gold band and grins.

"Nice. Green and yellow. Artemis and KF, huh?" Dick immediately notices.

"Congratulations." Reyna stands up. "I'm getting some drinks." She stands up, and Artemis rises from her chair. "I should go… too."

When the girls are gone, Wally sits down in Reyna's chair.

"Babe, huh?" he teases. "Didn't a certain person once say that his superpower was girls?"

A small smile tugs up Dick's lip. "Well, that's not going to work. She is most likely going to beat the crap out of me if I dump her."

"She's like my spitfire." Wally looks at the two girls carrying drinks and coming towards the table, most likely bad-mouthing any boy coming near a 10-feet radius from them.

"Yeah…" Dick gazes at nothingness. The silence is interrupted by the start of the game. The two girls run over and Reyna grabs the iPad.

"Which of these 4 people discovered chlorine? One, Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Two, Humphry Davy. Three, Henri Moissan. Four, Georg Brandt." She reads.

"Uh…" Dick scratches his head, trying to think. "Um… I think the second one?"

"No, Dick." Wally sighs. "Humphry Davy announced chlorine as an element. The person who _discovered_ chlorine, though- "

"The first one." Reyna interrupts. "Carl Wilhelm Scheele."

Wally takes the iPad from her and presses the first button. A green sign lights up.

"And the point goes to…." the announcer shouts. "E=MC hammer!"

The doors suddenly burst open.

"Freeze." Says Captain cold, aiming a freeze gun at all of them.


	25. Ambushed

**Thanks guys! And especially special thanks to AValeriA who supports me all the way!**

Everybody stops what they're doing.

"Crap." Wally mutters.

"Don't move!" he aimed his gun at Artemis, who had made a move towards the bathrooms.

"How much have you got there?" Cold mused, walking over to the counter and froze it, shattering the counter open. He took out wads of cash and stuffed it in his case.

"Well… I should be going now… but that doesn't mean any superheroes are chasing after me now, does it?" Snart shot his freeze gun in the direction of the other team, he himself slowly backing up towards the door. A scream, and one of the members clutched their arm, now frozen and encased in ice. Snart ran out of the shop and dashed around the corner.

"Call 911!"

Dick dashes towards the bathrooms and changes as fast as he can.

 _Someone's dying of hypothermia_ , he thinks.

Reyna's just showing KF the direction to the nearest hospital when he flips into the place. She nods in acknowledgement as KF makes an _ok_ gesture.

"Go!" she says, and KF zooms off towards the direction of the nearest hospital.

She turns towards him, grinning.

"Let's go catch an ice villain, shall we?"

It's not hard to find Captain Cold- he's robbing the nearest bank.

Reyna murmurs, "Distraction maneuver. Go."

He turns towards Captain cold and takes out a birdarang.

It hits Captain Cold's wrist and knocks the gun out of his hand. The guns skid away, landing a few feet behind him. He ducks the second birdarang and grabs his gun, shooting it towards him.

"Ah, Nightwing. What are you doing in Central City? This isn't your territory, isn't it?" He aims the gun again and shoots. Nightwing easily flips away.

"Just visiting a friend." He answers, and runs towards the villain. Nightwing dodges the blast of ice and hits Cold's wrist with his stick, causing him to release his gun. Behind Cold, Shadow smirks and lifts up her hand.

"And good night." He smiles as Reyna punches his temple, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Well… that was incredibly easy." She jerks her chin towards the ice villain she's currently hog-tying to a pole.

"He is getting old." Nightwing shrugs.

Reyna finishes hog tying the old villain and stands up, dusting her hands off.

"Our job is done here."

Suddenly Mr. Freeze and Icicle Jr. appeared from the shadows. The two surrounded heroes instantly got into a fighting pose, back to back.

"Looks like our friends are here…. Killer Frost."

The duo turned around, too late as they sunk into darkness.


	26. Idiots

Nightwing groggily awoke to hear voices and looked around.

"Our hero awakes." He blinks and makes out Mr. Freeze.

He feels around and finds that he's zip-tied to a chair. Another pair of wrists grinding against his. He twists his body around to see Shadow's face hidden by her loose hair. She's still unconscious.

"Your friend there is fine. Just took a knock to the head." Captain Cold grimaces. "Like she did to me."

"Oh, don't harbor any cold feelings, Snart." Killer frost steps out of the darkness, smirking. "Wouldn't want to freeze them already, would we?"

"Nope!" Icicle Jr. cackles, holding a swirling bullet of ice over his hand. "You've _got_ to save that for later."

"What do you want?" Shadow demands behind him. Ah, so she was acting.

"No personal feelings here, Boy Wonder." Killer Frost says. "Is there, boys?"

"Actually," Mr. Freeze steps forward fingering his ice gun, "There is."

"Yeah. Why not just end them right here?" Icicle Jr. steps forward.

"Because, you idiots," Cold scowls, "We need to catch those annoying speedsters! Then we can kill both the bat-brats and the speedsters!"

Shadow whistles. "That's low. Really low. And old too, for that matter."

Freeze aims his freeze gun. "Choose your next words wisely."

Between his and her wrists, he can feel a knife scraping against the zip-lock ties.

"Why not just look under their masks?" Icicle Jr. suggests. "We need them alive, not unmasked."

"Correct." Mr. Freeze says. "I want to see wo has long tormented me in my conquest for Gotham."

A hand reaches for his mask, but is slapped away by Killer Frost.

"We need to wait! Not now!"

Complaints rise up from the others but is silenced.

"Are you sure they'll find us?" Icicle tilts his head. "I mean, we are in a secure safehouse."

"We need to make it look less suspicious." Cold says. "The door and perimeters are rigged with alarms and traps set to specifically trap speedsters."

Nightwing hears a swear as the knife clatters to the floor.

"Well well well… what have we got here?" Killer frost leans down and picks up the knife.

"Estúpido. Somos todos uns." Reyna grumbles. **(I found that on bing translate, so correct me if that's wrong, please. It's portugese.)**

 _Idiot. We're all idiots._ He translates in his head.

He tries to keep away the bitter pain, like pins and needles, as Killer Frost freezes their wrists.


	27. Kidnapped: part 1

It's been a few, what, hours since he's been here? He's immensely bored yet in pain; Reyna's done everything from whistling to rubbing her hands together to insulting their captors.

"I'm bored and my hands are freezing. I'm going to get hypothermia. I don't suppose you'd let us go?"

"Hmm? No… of course not. Our… ah, _friends_ are distracting your friends, who are, of course, doing everything to find you."

He gasps but is silenced by a look Reyna gives him. She's holding a lighter under the ice cuffs.

"Who are your friends?" she asks nonchalantly.

"Do you know who… Bane, Poison Ivy, the Joker, Mirror Master and Captain Boomerang are?"

"You sent _five_ villains after three speedsters? That's hardly fair." Nightwing couldn't believe his ears.

"Well… it's not just the speedsters who are looking for you, is it?" _Then who?_

"Do you know what the time is?" Shadow asks.

"Why? Concerned? Because I'm nice, I'll tell you…. It's currently 11:23 P.M." Killer Frost smiles and twirls an iced up marble ball between her fingers.

"Wait… we've been here for roughly three hours and they still haven't found us?" he can feel warmth coming back to his hands.

"Yes. I did tell them we were in a safe place. This is hardly Central City anymore, we- "she cut off. "Ohhh… trying to trick me, are you, Boy Wonder? I admire your nerve."

"Thanks." He grumbles. _Just a little more and we're free to go,_ he thinks. He can feel his hands now. His rear end starts to hurt from sitting too long.

 _Look what you made me do_

 _Look what you made me do_

 _Look what you just made me do_

 _Look what you just made me do_

"Shut up!" Killer Frost shrieks. "I hate that song!"

"I do, too." Shadow remarks, then swiftly punches her across the face, knocking her out cold.

"Why didn't you do that earlier?" Dick asks, rubbing his wrists and groaning.

"God, she is so dumb." Shadow grabs his hand and pulls him into the shadows.

When they emerge, they're at the edge of Central City.

Shadow strides across the rooftop and takes a leap. She rolls and lands on the other rooftop.

"Come on!" she shouts.

"Where are we going?" he catches up to her when she skids to a stop.

"Here." She flips out her phone and punches in numbers.

"What, we couldn't have done that in the edge of central city?"

"This place has the best access. All four bars. Now be quiet." She scolds as she holds the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" says a voice. "Is this the Shadow?"

"Yup." Reyna grins, but then her grin falters.

"This is Captain Cold, Mr. Freeze and Icicle Jr."

"What do you want?" Shadow says in a bitter voice. "Where are our friends?"

We've got your speedsters, and the Martian, as a plus. And what do we want? Surrender yourselves, or your friends die. See you- at the statue of the Flash."


	28. Kidnapped: part 2

_Surrender yourselves, or your friends die._

Those words ring across his head, and he flips and lightly lands on the pavement. Shadow follows him, and she doesn't look good. Shadows are curling around her fingertips, and tendrils of darkness are snaking about.

"They're here." He says, pointing to the 3 ice villains patrolling the flash statue, now frozen and shattered.

"I know." She growls in a low voice. She turns, and for a moment he sees blackness in her eyes. But it passes after a second.

"We can take them." She sounds certain, with no hint of remorse in her voice.

"Are… you sure? What if it's another ambush?"

"You're right." She takes a ragged breath. "I'm angry. I'm not thinking clearly."

"It's okay. We just need to figure out how to approach them."

"Direct." She immediately says.

Icicle Junior picks up a phone and dials.

"I can hack into that." The blue light of the portable holographic computer shines in her face as she furiously types. A few seconds later, small voices come out.

 _We can't see them, Mirror Master._

 **Wait a bit more.**

 _We've wasted plenty of time. Why not just go now? Rip off their masks and kill them painfully._

 **I said wait a bit more!**

 _Okay. But shouldn't we just come to the hideout? I mean, the warehouse-_

 **How many times did I tell you! These are master hackers we're dealing with, we cannot risk using a phone or any other type of electronic device to communicate! Mirror master, out!**

Reyna types again.

"The phone signal is coming from…. What the hell? Metropolis?"

"Then we better get there quick."

"Couldn't we call some help like, I dunno, Robin or Tigress or something?"

"Robin or Batman is too far away. But…" he falters. "Call Tigress. She's worrying about KF."

She brings her phone to her ear.

"Tigress." She says. "We need Tigress at the Avernus Cemetery. You know where it is." Then a pause. "I'll explain later."

When she hangs up, he wonders, "Why the Avernus Cemetery?"  
Reyna scowls. "The cemetery is in a hidden location. No one can find us there, bird brain."

It doesn't take long for them to get to Avernus Cemetery. Reyna leans against a tombstone and immediately sets to work about warehouses in Metropolis.

"Hey." Says a voice, then a blonde Tigress reveals herself, crouched on a tree. "You're not kidnapped anymore. Why'd you call here?"

"You know KF, right?" Reyna seems to have finished her research and come to a conclusion. She sets her computer off and stands up straight.

"Yeah?" Tigress leaps down from the tree and looks at them. "He's okay, right?"

"Well…" Reyna chews her lip and stares at the ground.

"He's in a warehouse in Metropolis. Kidnapped. Most likely tied up."

"We have to get him back!" Artemis immediately frets.

"Yeah… I know, but…"

"But what?" She turns towards the other girl and Shadow brings up a file.

"It's located in um…"

"Where?!"

"Suicide Slums."

They all get quiet.

"Let's do it then."


	29. Kidnapped: part 3

"Tigress, are you clear?"

"All clear."

"Shadow?"

"Clear."

Nightwing sighes and throws a special device at the cameras, and the video keeps looping.

"I'm clear." He mutters into his earpiece as he flips down lightly and swift as a shadow slips into the next corridor.

"Good. I'm in." He ducks out of a camera's range. For a warehouse, this place is pretty well protected.

"There. Multiple heat signatures. Three of them are intense: one is heightening quickly. There's some kind of- oh my god."

"What?" he's making his way towards her as fast as he can.

"M'gann's surrounded by fire."

"Her kryptonite." Tigress breathes.

"A hostage situation…" a hesitation, then…

"Come. Now."

"I'm on my way." He says, then drops down next to her.

"Me too." Tigress slinks up next to them, and they all stare at the sight before them.

M'gann's surrounded in a circle of fire, and the three speedsters have inhibitor collars around their neck, and they're thrown behind bars.

"Inhibitor collar systems." Shadow snaps her fingers under his nose, and he gets to work wiring into the inhibitor collar system.

"This'll create a few sparks, though." He murmurs.

"Do it!" she whisper-shouts.

"Okay." He says, then presses the button.

The collars spark and fizz as they shut off.

"Hey! What the- "Mirror Master is cut off as he's punched in the face by Shadow.

Captain Boomerang reacts quicker and throws… well, throws his boomerang. He throws a birdarang and intercepts it, pinning it effectively to the wall, then draws his escrima sticks as the 3 speedsters vibrate themselves out of the cage. Well, the two speedsters. Kid Flash groanes and sits in his cell as Tigress unlocks the cage and kisses him on the cheek.

"Come on!" she dodges poison ivy's plants and slices a tentacle in half, causing a scream from the green woman.

"My baby!" she shrieks.

Shadow grabs Mirror Master and lifts him up by his collar.

"Payback time." She says, then punches him.

The villain goes flying, then disappears inside a mirror. Impulse, noticing this, runs around and smashes all the mirrors except for the one Mirror Master's in. He draws back his fist and smashes it, and Mirror Master tumbles out just in time. Impulse runs back to poison ivy, dodging her plants, and KF runs around M'gann, extinguishing the fire around her.

"M'gann! You okay?" he waves a hand in front of her face and she stirs and awakens.

"Ughhh… my head." She groans and sits up. "What happened? I remember being knocked in the head, then…" she trailes off and sits up.

"Bad Guys!" M'gann hovers into the air and guestures to a piece of metal. It rips off and slammed on top of Bane. He's then electrocuted by the flash.

"Yes!" Nightwing smacks poison ivy across the head, and she's knocked out cold. The rest of the heroes drag the villains towards the door.

"Wait…" Tigress hesitates. "Wasn't there supposed to be four villains?"

"You're right!" cackles a voice. "You forgot old jokey!"

"Crap." Shadow mutters. "I hate that dude."

An old villain springs out.

"Oh goody!" he cackles. "The bird and his shadow are here! I've always wanted to carve them both."

"You do realize you're outnumbered, right?" KF says. "And outforced."

"I do, but I did bring some friends along!" he laughs and 3 ice villains run out- Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold and Icicle Junior.

"Crap." Reyna mutters, again.

"And now… let us start!" he waves a little red flag and the 4 villains charge at them.


	30. Kidnapped: part 4

Tigress, Miss Martian and the speedsters turn towards the ice villains, while…

"You two are mine." Joker bares his yellow teeth into a grin and brings out the little sword he had some years ago.

"You still have that?" Reyna looks at the small sharp object and draws her twin swords. They glint, even with no light, and their silver blades are shiny as ever.

"You know, compared to yours, my sword is, like, size XXXXXL."

"Ne-ver mind." The Joker swings at them. "I'm going to (GRAPHIC CONTENT ALERT!) cut you into little pieces and send them to old batsy with this handy little knife."

"Real cheery." Nightwing says. "Let's get on with this fight." He spins his batons in his hand, and limbo-dodge the sword coming towards his chest. He flips up, and throws a birdarang at Joker's wrist. It hits its mark and the knife spins out of his hands.

"You're making me more infuriated by the second, bird boy." The Joker growls and lunges at the hero. He sidesteps and, unfortunately, the unexpected punch catches him in the small of his back.

"That had to hurt." Shadow whistles and swings her sword as the Joker tries to kick her. She turns the blade flat so that it whacks the clown prince of crime across the head.

"Ow!" he shrieks.

"The vibrations had to hurt." The girl clothed in black smirks and adds, "You sound like a girl, by the way."

"I'll roast you alive!" roars the enraged villain, and he lunges at her. Nightwing slips in and smacks him with his sticks.

"Nice one." Shadow points out. "Now let's help the others-"

They turn around, and two of the villains are lying on the floor knocked out cold.

"Who can… totally handle themselves. And do not need our help. Wow."

The other heroes drag the villains into a pile.

"Our little reunion." KF says. "Ironic. We went looking for you and you rescue us. Just ironic."

"It's just how we do, Baywatch." Artemis kisses KF. "Missed you, too." KF mumbles.

Reyna puts her hands on Dick's shoulders and kisses him.

"I should really get a girlfriend." Impulse mumbles, and stares at the floor.

After a few seconds, everybody's ready.

"You know the usual. Just, you know, try not to get left out." Shadow yawns. "Grab on to, I dunno, Mr. Freeze or something."

Everyone recoils at the thought but puts their hands on the pile of villains anyway.

"I hate this feeling." Impulse squeezes his eyes shut as he clutches Captain Cold's leg.

"Are you sure? This is like, fourteen people. Like-"

"I am most likely going to pass out. But then again, what choice do I have?" she smiles and squeezes his hand. Then she concentrates, and the room flickers.

"This is kind of working." Tigress, on the other side of Shadow, looks around. "Note the _kind of_."

Shadow doesn't reply, and suddenly a new scene's popping into view- a scene with multiple cop cars and cops standing around a robber. Then she collapses.

"Handy. She dropped criminals off at the crime scene."


	31. Getting married

Dick Grayson runs his hand through his hair and sighs. He's currently in a police cruiser, heading towards a crime scene. He's had no free day since he's come back from 'vacation'- Bane, Ivy, some gangsters, there were way too many villains in Gotham. He looks at his phone, then at the road again, just as a car crashes into the street. He swerves the cruiser and parks it neatly in front of the scene. He sees someone who shouldn't be here.

"Bane?" he says, amazed. "How did you get out of jail so fast?"

He turns towards the sound of his voice, then smiles. "Pretty boy Grayson. Off to cart me to jail, eh? No doubt."

"No." says a voice. " _I'm_ here."

As Bane turns towards the sound of the woman's voice, a birdarang comes out of nowhere and smacks him in the back. He staggers.

"You'll have to do better than that!" he growls.

"I can." The voice says again, then two cords strike Bane in the back and electricity flows into the giant villain. He yells and drops to the floor, back to his normal size. Shadow steps out of the dark as Dick screws handcuffs on Bane and drags him into the cruiser.

"Thanks Grayson." She smiles.

"No problem…. Shadow." He grins back, then leans on the car. "I should probably be thanking you."

"No problem to you, too." She says. "I'll just… see you around, then."

And with a whoosh, she disappears.

Grayson gets in the cruiser and drives towards GCPD.

He looks at his phone, then at Bane.

Then at the phone.

And before he knows it, he's there.

Dick climbs out of the cruiser and hauls out the villain.

"Nice work, Grayson." One of the officers say as he hands the cuffed villain to some other officers.

"Nah, we all know who did the real work." Another officer says. "The bat family. Like, Shadow and Nightwing and Batman and Red Hood and Robin and all that mojo, ya know?"

Someone runs down the steps.

"Dickie!" That person wraps her arms around him.

"Hi." He hugs her back.

"You've been busy all week." Reyna says, pouting, "Do you have any time right now?"

"Yeah… I'm free."

"We're going for coffee break."

Thirty minutes later they're sitting in a coffee shop drinking coffee like a normal couple. He feels the weight in his pocket, and his hand goes in and brushes the velvety box.

"You know… I've been thinking about some things." He says.

"So have I." Reyna replies, then sets down her coffee. She leans forwards. Her mouth is pursed and she's clasping her hands together like she's anxious. Very anxious.

"I just wanted to ask you… how would it feel if someone proposed to you?"

"I would kind of like it, but not if it weren't like, someone special to me."

"Then I believe I am someone special?"

"Of course, Dickie!" she swats his arm. "Who else?"

He takes a deep breath.

"I just want you… to consider this." His thumb brushes the small, delicate box in his pocket and he takes it out, and flips it open.

"How would you like… to marry me?"

A few seconds.

"This is really amazing timing, Dickie." She looks at the little thing, a small silver circle with a blue sapphire on top.

"Uh… sorry if I sound stupid, but why?"

"Because I'm like…"

His heart skips a beat.

"What?"

She takes the ring, examines it for a few seconds, then slips it on her finger.

"So is that a yes?"

"Yes… cause I might be kind of…. Unable to do things due to my difficulty of carrying around something in me."

"Is that your way of saying you're pregnant?"

"Duh."

"This is amazing news!" he hugs her and holds her tight.

"So… like, we still have a really big and dangerous task, you know."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"Telling Bruce."


	32. The End

**In this version of DC, Kid Flash marries Artemis. Cause I love spitfire pairing. Oh, and last chapter! Not like anyone cares. But, next story will be teen titans genre. Please, if you're reading this, I might take a few days to load the first chapter, but please please please check it out!**

One afternoon, Dick sighs, rubs his forhead, and looks at the speedometer.

Can't this thing go any faster?

He misses Reyna and his kids, and he's only been away for, what? A few days?

He drives his blue car **(Let's just assume his car is blue b/c of the Nightwing thing)** down the road and stops at the front of his house. Someone's waiting in the doorway, his Reyna.

"Hi." She says, then hugs him tight. "I've missed you. Well, probably your kids have missed you the most."

He laughes. "Go figure."

Reyna sticks his head through the door and yells, "Hey, zippy! Your father's here, you know."

Wally races over and launches himself at his father. He grins and rubs his black hair. "How you going, Wall-man?"

"Goody, dad!" he tugs at his sleeve and leads him inside the door. Reyna shuts the door. "I've got something to show you. I created this awesome stimulation on the computer where, like, I- "

"Daddy!" a small blue-eyed boy waddles over and hugs his middle.

"Hey John." He scoops up the boy by one arm.

'You're strong, daddy." John says very seriously. "And our nanny's strong, too."

Just in cue, their nanny comes out- a blonde woman with an Asian complexion and brown eyes.

"You got Artemis to be their nanny? You are amazing, Reyne!" he kisses his wife on the cheek.

"You missed a kid, dad." A sincere-looking little girl walks up and looks up at him with big green eyes.

"Hey!" he chuckles. "How could I forget my little Stephanie?"

"The twins are too teeny to deserve attention, dad." She jokes as Dick hugs her with one arm and sets John down with the other.

"Oh, and dad, guess what mom taught me to do!" Stephanie claps her hands. "She told me how to effectively hit the most vulnerable parts of men! And plus, I finished reading The Lord of The Rings series, and The Hobbit!"

"Nice job, bookworm!" he sets down his bag on the sofa. "Oh, and Artemis, thanks for helping us watch our kids."

"No problem." Artemis smiles. "Well, not compared to Wally's kids, anyway. We ran a diagnosis, and we just found out one of our orange-haired kids has ADHD. The other one got into the track team. He's fast, but one of our blonde ones, though, she got into the school baseball team."

"The blonde one is smart." Reyna chuckles.

"Look what I got for you, kids!" he brings out a shiny book.

"You got me _War and Peace_ , daddy? That's awesome!" the little girl shrieks in delight and runs off with the book.

"And for you two twins…" he takes out two boxes and rattles them. "Avengers Lego for both of you."

The twins run off with the Legos in bliss, both yelling a thank you as they pass their father.

"Well, Dick, you just got back." Reyna collapses on the couch next to him. "Are you going out on patrol?"

He's saved from answering by a ring on Reyna's laptop.

"I better get going, guys. Lian's gonna need my help." Artemis waves and heads towards the door.

"You are a busy lady, aren't you? Bye!" Reyna puts her head on his shoulder and accepts the call. Jason's face pops up, along with Tim, and Damian.

"Hey former Robins." Reyna greets them.

"Hey." Jason smirks. "How's it going?"

"The kids are pretty ballistic. But they're okay." Dick admits.

"You haven't forgotten our big family reunion, haven't you? I know Bruce is old, but he'll go crazy on you guys if you forget." Tim warns.

"We know." They both say in unison.

"You're bringing the children along, aren't you, Graysons? They do love my dog." He scratches Titus' ear and the dog brings his nose in front of the camera.

"Yeah, we are." Reyna peeks out from the laptop and sees the twins screaming about who's taller.

"I'm taller! Everyone knows it!" John puffs out his chest, trying to look taller.

"No, I am!" Wally stamps his foot. "I am!"

"Shut up, will you?" an enraged Stephanie pokes his head through the door and yells. "I want to read my book in peace! And I'm taller than both of you!"

The twins get silent and continue building their Legos.

"The commotion's over." She says. "See you tomorrow, then."

"See you tomorrow."

With a click, the call ends.

"Well, that was nice."

"Are you still going out for patrol?" Reyna asks, hopeful.

"Well, I do need some time with my family." His arms hold her, and they stare at the peaceful scene of their daughter reading a book and their twin sons building Legos.

"I love you, Dick Grayson." His wife, Reyna Wilson murmurs.

"I love you too." He murmurs back.


End file.
